So I am looking at the photos, and I am not seeing a speaker grill or buttons on the big bottom bezel.
Which I think is just epic fail in phone design. Dedicated buttons free up screen space in most situations, and stereo front facing speakers greatly improve audio quality. If you are going to have the space, MAKE USE OF IT!
what workloads will not be adequately served by the SD 630 if i may? An A53 at 2.2 ghz is PLENTY for 99% of mobile workloads, including games. I have not ever come across a scenario where CPU performance is a bottleneck. Even heavy apps like photo editing apps run acceptably, if a tad slower than 'big' cores.
Now, GPU is a bigger bottle neck for most mid range SOCs. Games struggle to render at a steady framerate at even medium quality due to use of weak one core/two core gpus in the likes of Exynos 7870 and Kirin 659. The 630 on the other hand has a decent gpu in the Adreno 508, only a little less powerful than the 509 used in the 636...
Welcome to 2018, where ultra-wide screen phones are the norm and dedicated keys are so two years ago. Thinness and sleekness reign supreme.
I think for now, we can put dedicated keys along with removable batteries, plastic bodies and sadly, perhaps soon the headphone jack.
I'm really no fan of current smartphones. They are absolutely about status now, rather than functionality. Other than better processors, displays and USB-C, they've gotten worse.
It looks great with the edge to edge screen, and considering how most phones are identical when it comes to looks, this one has a unique design which makes it stand out.
So much this! An approximately $400 USD phone is almost laughably over-priced regardless of whether or not the SoC used is in the middle of a product stack. Though, I think AT is just reusing wishful thinking/delusional marketing wording from OEMs when they name something mid-priced or whatever. I'm sure Sony's leadership would love for us to consider their $400+ phones as moderately priced and are swinging that banner as hard as possible.
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17 Comments
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Sttm - Thursday, July 12, 2018 - link
So I am looking at the photos, and I am not seeing a speaker grill or buttons on the big bottom bezel.Which I think is just epic fail in phone design. Dedicated buttons free up screen space in most situations, and stereo front facing speakers greatly improve audio quality. If you are going to have the space, MAKE USE OF IT!
shabby - Thursday, July 12, 2018 - link
A53 = low end not midrange.peevee - Thursday, July 12, 2018 - link
Yep. At least 1 fast core (A73+) and A55 the rest would be midrange (and decent).LiverpoolFC5903 - Friday, July 13, 2018 - link
what workloads will not be adequately served by the SD 630 if i may? An A53 at 2.2 ghz is PLENTY for 99% of mobile workloads, including games. I have not ever come across a scenario where CPU performance is a bottleneck. Even heavy apps like photo editing apps run acceptably, if a tad slower than 'big' cores.Now, GPU is a bigger bottle neck for most mid range SOCs. Games struggle to render at a steady framerate at even medium quality due to use of weak one core/two core gpus in the likes of Exynos 7870 and Kirin 659. The 630 on the other hand has a decent gpu in the Adreno 508, only a little less powerful than the 509 used in the 636...
shabby - Friday, July 13, 2018 - link
It's still a lowend soc no matter how you spin it.Kaggy - Thursday, July 12, 2018 - link
I don't think the XA series is targeting that market.You need to look at their XZ series if you are going for best features.
XA series is supposed to just have as much features at a mid to low range price point.
Tams80 - Saturday, July 14, 2018 - link
We're talking about a lack of features here!Tams80 - Saturday, July 14, 2018 - link
Welcome to 2018, where ultra-wide screen phones are the norm and dedicated keys are so two years ago. Thinness and sleekness reign supreme.I think for now, we can put dedicated keys along with removable batteries, plastic bodies and sadly, perhaps soon the headphone jack.
I'm really no fan of current smartphones. They are absolutely about status now, rather than functionality. Other than better processors, displays and USB-C, they've gotten worse.
Zanor - Thursday, July 12, 2018 - link
Sony makes the best looking phonesBeaver M. - Friday, July 13, 2018 - link
No.Looks like an oversized cigarette lighter from the 90s. Or like a liquor flask.
tanx470 - Saturday, July 14, 2018 - link
It looks great with the edge to edge screen, and considering how most phones are identical when it comes to looks, this one has a unique design which makes it stand out.socrateos - Sunday, July 15, 2018 - link
I like this design too. Really a great looking device.R3MF - Friday, July 13, 2018 - link
Sailfish OS?The_Assimilator - Friday, July 13, 2018 - link
If this is midrange, I wonder what AnandTech considers low-range.PeachNCream - Friday, July 13, 2018 - link
So much this! An approximately $400 USD phone is almost laughably over-priced regardless of whether or not the SoC used is in the middle of a product stack. Though, I think AT is just reusing wishful thinking/delusional marketing wording from OEMs when they name something mid-priced or whatever. I'm sure Sony's leadership would love for us to consider their $400+ phones as moderately priced and are swinging that banner as hard as possible.Arnulf - Friday, July 13, 2018 - link
The 4x A53 SoCs I bet ... Which must make 12x A53 "high-end"?A53 is a relic from the ancient past and should just die.It's the middle of 2018 now, where are the A72/A73 + A55 SoCs?
tanx470 - Saturday, July 14, 2018 - link
Let me guess, a phone with SD430 or SD450? HD screen (720x1440)? 2-3 GB of RAM? Max 32 GB storage?